1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a door panel structure for an automobile, in which a weather strip is fitted to an end periphery of a door panel and an end periphery of a door waist reinforcement at a door waist of the automobile, and relates to a method of producing the door panel structure.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional door panel structure for an automobile includes a waist flange that corresponds to an end periphery of a door panel and an end periphery of a door waist reinforcement which are joined with each other at a door waist of the automobile. A weather strip having a generally U-shaped section is fitted to the door waist flange from an upper side of the waist flange.
At the waist flange of the conventional door panel structure to which the weather strip is fitted, the door panel and the door waist reinforcement are joined and in intimate contact with each other and thereby have a relatively thin thickness. Therefore, the weather strip that is fitted to the waist flange has an opening having a narrow width corresponding to the thin thickness of the waist flange.
It is necessary to use a molding die having a narrow die head in order to form the weather strip having such a narrow opening width. This results in deterioration in durability of the molding die.
For this reason, the opening width of the weather strip is increased upon forming the weather strip, as compared to an opening width in actual usage thereof, and after forming the weather strip, the opening width of the weather strip is reduced by pressing, etc., and narrowed so as to adapt to the thin thickness of the waist flange. The weather strip is made of a rubber and provided inside thereof with a plastically deformable core material.
Since, the work of reducing the opening width of the weather strip so as to adapt to the thin thickness of the waist flange is conducted after forming the weather strip as described above, the work efficiency is deteriorated to thereby cause an increase in the production cost.